By Luke Cooper
At least five return international flights operating between Australia and Bali have been cancelled and multiple others delayed due to the eruption of Indonesia’s Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki volcano for a second time in as many months.
The eruption on Monday sent a column of ash and other volcanic material as high as 18 kilometres into the sky, causing the country’s internal geohazard and volcanology agency to issue its highest-level emergency alert on the tourist island of Flores.
The MAGMA agency said the volcano unleashed an avalanche of searing gas clouds down the slopes of Mount Lewotobi during the eruption.
“An eruption of Lewotobi Laki-Laki Volcano occurred … with the observed ash column height reaching approximately 18,000m above the summit,” the agency said.
It warned of the possibility of hazardous lahar floods — a type of mud or debris flow of volcanic materials — if heavy rain occurs, particularly for communities near rivers.
There were no immediate reports of casualties.
The ABC understands that at least three Virgin Australia-operated international flights to Bali were cancelled on Monday due to the eruption, and delays on Tuesday are possible depending on the movement of the ash cloud through the night.
“Some Virgin Australia Bali services have been cancelled following the eruption of Mount Lewotobi earlier today,” a Virgin Australia spokesperson told the ABC.
“The safety of our guests and crew is our highest priority and our team of expert meteorologists are closely monitoring the situation and ash cloud activity.
“We regret the impact of this on guests’ travel plans and encourage guests travelling to or from Bali to closely monitor their flight status via the Virgin Australia website or app.”
Qantas flights QF43 from Sydney and QF45 from Melbourne to Denpasar, Bali — both due to depart at 4:20pm AEST on Monday — have been delayed until at least 8pm AEST.
“Our meteorologists and operations teams are closely monitoring the movement of volcanic ash from the latest eruption of Mount Lewotobi in Indonesia,” a Qantas Group spokesperson told the ABC.
“Safety is always our top priority, and we will contact customers directly if their flight is disrupted.”
The Perth Airport website also says that two Bali-bound Jetstar flights — JQ106 due to take-off at 4:20pm AWST and JQ116 due to depart at 4:40pm — have both been cancelled.
The ABC has contacted Jetstar Airways to determine whether any additional services have been impacted.
A customer service agent of airport operator InJourney Airports told AFP that Bali’s Ngurah Rai international airport was still operating normally despite the eruption.
Geology agency head Muhammad Wafid said in a statement the activity level at the volcano was “very high, marked by explosive eruptions and continuous tremors”.
He also urged residents to stay at least 6 kilometres away from the volcano and to wear face masks to protect themselves from volcanic ash.
Indonesia’s MAGMA agency also increased the volcano’s alert status after an eruption on June 18, and more than doubled an exclusion zone to a 7km radius as eruptions became more frequent.
About three dozen flights between Australia and the Indonesian tourist province of Bali were cancelled or delayed due to the eruption last month, which spewed ash as high as 10,000m into the air.
Services operated by Qantas, Jetstar and Virgin , as well as Singapore Airlines, Air India, and Air New Zealand were all impacted by last month’s eruption.
Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki erupted multiple times in November, killing nine people and forcing thousands to evacuate, as well as the cancellation of scores of international flights to Bali. It also erupted in March.
The 1,584m mountain is a twin volcano with Mount Lewotobi Perempuan in the district of Flores Timur.
Indonesia is an archipelago of 270 million people with frequent seismic activity.
It has 120 active volcanoes and sits along the “Ring of Fire,” a horseshoe-shaped series of seismic fault lines encircling the Pacific Basin.